Highest driver total ever are prepping for Musselman Honda Circuit in Tucson next weekend

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Record field sizes are set to kick off the 2013 SKUSA Pro Tour at the SpringNationals in Arizona
(Photo: On Track Promotions - otp.ca)

The 2013 Superkarts! USA Pro Tour is expected to be bigger and badder than ever before. Entering its fourth season, the three-event program has been enhanced by its largest series prize package ever — now set at roughly $96,000 for the year. A sign of the series’ strength and popularity, the Pro Tour has enjoyed an increase in participation year-after-year and has attained record numbers each season. This year’s SpringNationals, which is set for April 12-14 at the Musselman Honda Circuit in Tucson, Arizona, is welcoming yet another record-setting number of drivers, as a total of 197 pre-entries have been processed so far and verbal commitments have well surpassed the 200 mark.

The SKUSA Pro Tour has experienced steady growth over the previous two seasons following its debut in 2010. The majority of classes have already surpassed last year’s numbers, highlighted by the strongest increase in the S2 Semi-Pro Stock Moto, TaG Master and TaG Cadet classes. SKUSA shifterkart racing is continuing to expand – and the cool-factor has increased – as many of the young guns in the sport are working their way up the ranks and into the headline S1 Pro Stock Moto class. The continuing graduation of S2 front-runners means that there is an exciting number of young pilots stepping up to become the next rising star in Superkarts! USA action.

The SKUSA Pro Tour is one of, if not the only, program in the United States that truly welcomes and promotes the gentlemen drivers over the age of 30. The S4 contingent continues to hold strong year after year, and now those in TaG Master are banding together to compete on the Pro Tour. The TaG Master class has almost doubled from last year’s number and could be one of the biggest classes on the weekend. In addition, the TaG Cadet class is seeing another burst in participation this season, thanks in part to the Vortex Mini Rok engine program at the SKUSA ProKart Challenge level. The class is nearly double what it was a year ago, with a mixture of returning drivers and competitors who are new to Superkarts! USA and the Pro Tour.

Superkarts! USA recently announced a $96,000 prize purse for the 2013 Pro Tour, with a maximum of $9,500 in cash to be awarded at the SpringNationals next weekend. The two Pro categories – S1 and TaG Senior – will each have $1,750 up for grabs, with the top driver on the weekend earning a $1,000 pay day. SKUSA is also offering up $1,000 to the other six classes, should the driver total reach 30. S2 Semi-Pro and S4 Master Stock Moto are the first two classes to have reached that mark during the pre-entry stage, with TaG Master and TaG Cadet just a few drivers from reaching that 30-driver mark, as well.

At the SpringNationals, the Superkarts! USA staff will welcome a familiar figure for the weekend. Former SKUSA ProMoto Tour star and three-time SuperNationals winner Darren Elliott will act as Director of Competition, subbing in for Alan Rudolph. The veteran karter will interact with the drivers during the weekend, oversee track activities, and assist Race Director Terry Bybee during the on-track action.

eKartingNews.com, the official media partner of Superkarts! USA, is set to provide a three-day preview program leading up to the SKUSA Pro Tour SpringNationals highlighting each of the eight classes. From Friday to Sunday of the race weekend, they will be providing their ‘EKN Trackside Live’ broadcast at http://www.ekartingnews.com/live, presented by Champion Racing. Live play-by-play action, live timing and forum discussion is available all on one page, and a mobile audio link is available to those on the go (mobile.livestream.com/ekartingnewslive).

Competitors who are not yet confirmed to be a part of this historic event have until midnight this Sunday, April 7 to register – although TaG Senior is suspected to sell out to 40 prior to this deadline. Following the cut-off, trackside entry begins on the Thursday prior to the event with an entry fee increase of $150. Racers are also encouraged to submit their pit spot reservations and pre-orders for practice tires and practice fuel by the April 7 deadline. All event details are posted on the SKUSA event page (www.superkartsusa.com/national/skusa-pro-tour/event-calendar/springnationals.html). To follow updates on Superkarts! USA, the upcoming SKUSA SpringNationals, SuperNationals XVII, and the rest of the 2013 SKUSA Pro Tour, be sure to visithttp://www.superkartsusa.com. as well as on Twitter at @SuperKartsUSA and at Facebook.com/SKUSA.